Picks, or plectrums, for stringed instruments such as guitars have been known and utilized for many years. Such plectrums are generally of an overall triangular or teardrop shape, having parallel opposed surfaces, and are adapted for holding between thumb and forefinger.
Conventional picks have been designed for use with various string types used on instruments and in accordance with various styles and techniques of playing. Conventional picks are composed of wood, plastic, metals and other materials, with the picks having various thicknesses depending on the composition and intended use of the pick. Plastic picks of appropriate resiliency have been favored for non-metallic strings. Resilient, or relatively flexible, picks are appropriate for strumming or other like plucking of instrument strings. However, such resilient picks do not provide for precision articulation in string plucking since displacement of the tip and/or imperfect "memory" in return of the tip to its rest position following release from the string does not allow the musician precise knowledge of tip position.
Picks composed of metal have been favored for plucking metallic strings of electrical guitars and like instruments. The strings of such instruments frequently have a round-wound nickel-silver composition. Some of the prior art metallic picks have been composed of metallic alloys imparting resilience to such metallic picks. Such resilient metallic picks are exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 4,395,932, Stringed Instrument Pick, in which a thin metallic pick is composed of beryllium copper alloy. In recent years musicians utilizing electrical guitars or like instruments having metallic strings have developed styles requiring a precision articulation, or closely defined plucking style. Resilient picks, even those with relatively quick and accurate return to the rest position, may be inadequate for precision articulation of metallic strings in the manner required for the newer styles of musicianship with electrical guitars and like instruments.
As a consequence, metallic picks composed of hard metals such as stainless steel, or even shaved metal coins, have been favored for precision articulation of metallic strings on electrical guitars and similar instruments. Such hard metal picks, however, do not provide sufficient "grab" or "bite" of the strings so as to produce an optimum harmonic attack. In addition, most such hard metal picks have not had rounded or bevelled edges. Rather, such picks have utilized generally sharp right angle edges for engagement with nickel-silver or other metallic strings. Engagement with the hard metallic edges of such picks generally has an adverse impact on the structural integrity of such metallic strings.